Paths Crossed
by happytobeyourdork
Summary: AU: They never met. Max. The Flock. She was always on the run, they were living a semi-comfortable life with no adult. Until their paths cross one day... FAX/NIGGY **BACK FROM WRITERS BLOCK**
1. Prologue

**OK!!! So I was reading the new Maximum Ride book, MAX, when this idea struck me... what if Max never met the rest of the flock? So here you go... oh and just to let you know, I get distracted really easily... yeah!!! But my friend is editing this and she loves deadlines, which are soooo helpful when you have a deadline. Any-who... on to the story...**

**DISCLAIMER: For James Patterson and all the other people who helped with Maximum Ride...I don't own anything related to Maximum Ride, i.e. Max, the flock, Jeb, etc. So please don't sue me!!! Oh, but don't use my characters unless I say you can!!!**

_**Prologue: Escape**_

Max's P.O.V. (Four years before story-Max is ten and my characters are seven)

I'm free!

Free of the School and those annoying, painful, "mandatory" test. I don't like the word mandatory.

But my lame excuse of a father, Jeb, is now where to be seen. He helped me escape with Zara and Zephyr and just freaking vanished!!!

Zara and Zephyr are two mutant freaks, or "hybrids" (snort), who are 2% lion, or some giant cat. But apparently they can still fly by controlling wind currents or something. Weird. But what-ever.

But I don't think we'll ever be free of the School. Zara, who is like preprogrammed for heightened senses, says she can hear Erasers chasing us.

"Let's fly," I told them, snapping my wings open, catching the strong current the Z-twins (perfect name!!!) called forward to get them flying. They rose into the air and we flew aqap (as quick as possible, get it) away from the evil School. The Erasers chased us on the ground.

"Hopefully, we'll lose them soon," Zephyr quipped.

"Yeah." me and Zara agreed.

I had no idea how wrong we were.

**Fangs P.O.V.** (Fang and Iggy- ten. Nudge- seven, the Gasman- four, Angel- two)

Jeb, the kind whitecoat, kidnapped us and took us... somewhere. A "house." Where us five can live together, safe- no more experiments, tests, Erasers, or fighting. Just me, Nudge, Iggy, Angel, and the Gasman, or Gazzy.

Jeb stayed with us. Taught us how to cook, fight "properly," wash clothes, take care of Angel, whose only two. We all hoped we could stay like this forever.

I had no idea how wrong we were.


	2. Chapter 1: Max

**Okay!!! New Chapter!!! It's four years later... so Max, Fang and Iggy are 14, Nudge, Zara and Zephyr are 11, Gazzy is 8 and Angel is 6. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of its character, they belong to James Patterson and who published the books. However, I do own Zara and Zephyr, who you will not take without asking!!! **

**Digital cookies and milk for people who review. **

**MAX FANG IGGY NUDGE ANGEL GAZZY ZARA ZEPHYR**

_**Chapter 1: Max**_

Max's P.O.V.

4 years later...

Kick. Punch. Dodge. Fly. Land. Sweep Kick.

Welcome to my nightmare.

Right now, about 20 flying Erasers are attacking us- as in me, Zara and Zephyr, and everything around us is just a Chinese Fire Drill.

Me- hands lit up on fire, frying Erasers left and right.

Zara and Zephyr- taking their usual wicked pleasure in stabbing the Erasers with their retractable claws. Let's just say those things hurt, like all get out.

Finally, all the Eraser are dead... or gone... nope all dead. My brown eyes sweep the battlefield. Pretty much like this.

Erasers-dead. Snapped necks, charred by _moi_'s flames, or stabbed by the twins claws.

Zara and Zephyr- landing lithely, on their feet, like a cat... oh wait they are cats, with identical wicked twisted, malicious grins on their faces, retracting their claws and surveying the field.

Yup, life's all normal.

"You both alright?" I asked, though I knew the answer.

"Yup! We're fine, but these Erasers aren't!" Zara and Zephyr said together, their grins growing, if that is even possible, covering their tanned faces and reflecting the malicious glee in their gold eyes.

"We need shelter. I thought I saw an isolated house without any cars in front of it. Let's go. U and A."

Up and away. Story of our lives.

I jumped into the air and began to fly, semi-quickly- only like 60 mp-frikin-h- towards that house.

I remember it was shaped like a sideways E. _Who lives way out here? _I thought.

_Go to the house. _

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the freaky, obnoxious, highly irritating, yet helpful Voice in my head.

_Why?_ I asked.

_Secrets await._

_Could you be any more vague?_ I asked, severely irritated. I can never get a frikin straight answer out of this thing. Oh look, no response. As usual.

Ha! I see the house. I was just about to point it out to the twins, who were fake-fighting with each other in the air, Zara suddenly stilled.

She yelled, "Erasers! Closing in!"

Here we go...again.


	3. Chapter 2: Fang

**Here you go!!! Life's been hectic lately, what with the swine flu pandemic and school work… so yeah… anywho- here you guys go.

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**Chapter 2: Fang**

(Fang's P.O.V.)

4 years later…

Get up just before dawn. Watch sunrise. Wake Iggy up to cook. Wake up Angel and Gazzy. Nudge wakes up at the smell of food.

Welcome to my dream life.

"Breakfast!" Nudge squeals, coming out of her room. She sprints to the kitchen. I follow at a much slower pace. When I get there, I survey the place. Angel and Gazzy are talking, I think. Angel is telepathic- it results in the fact that she doesn't really talk much, _out loud_. Iggy is at the stove, trying to cook, not burn the food and keep Nudge away at the same time.

Yu, life's all normal.

"Hey." I whisper in my quiet voice. I'm not a talker, that role belongs to Nudge.

"HI!" Nudge chirps, plopping down in a chair, giving up on trying to get food.

"Hello," Gazzy said. Iggy mirrored him a few seconds later, not taking his eyes off the food.

_Good morning, Fang_. Angel thought to me.

"What's for breakfast?"

"Eggs, bacon and toast."

"YUM! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING BREAKFAST IGGY…I LOVE YOUR COOKING…" Nudge trailed off.

Iggy is our best cook, which is odd because he is blind. Yeah, the blind guy can cook. Call the media. (Actually, on second thought, don't…please, I'm serious).

But whatever. Iggy brought breakfast over and we all dug in. Nudge was right, yum!

Iggy and Gazzy goofed off while eating, while Angel and Nudge "talked" about random things. I just sat there, being my usual, quiet self.

We quickly finished the large breakfast. In about 10 minutes. We eat A LOT.

We were cleaning up when we heard something we NEVER wanted to hear…

It's was a girl's voice, whose, I didn't know at the time, shouting:

"Erasers! Closing in!"

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**Fin. Chapter 2. Virtual cookies to those who review and favorite. Peace out, zarrondrea.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Rescue

**Hey people!!! Thanks a bunch (of bananas) for reading my fanfic.**

**Virtual cookies and milk for those who review.**

**So here you go…**

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**Paths Crossed**

**Chapter 3: The Rescue**

**Max P.O.V.**

"How many?" I asked, igniting the flames in my hand, turning my chocolate-brown blood-red.

"Twenty or thirty Flying Erasers, from the South," Zara said, her and Zephyr throwing up their golden-tanned arms and blowing a strong wind in the direction of the oncoming Erasers.

_You might find some unexpected help._

'That's not mysterious at all.' I thought as the Erasers came into view, struggling againste the twins strong winds. I threw fire in tight spirals at the front of the Erasers, sending down at least ten of the estimated, oh, let's say twenty-eight. "Zara! Zephyr! Phoenix!"

The twins winds swept my fire into the shape of a large, beautiful bird. They pushed it towards the Erasers, who scattered at the sight. The firebird fried about ten of the [insert swear word here] before it sizzled out. There were about eight Erasers left.

"HAND-TO-HAND!" Zara shouted, with that maniac-bloodlust smile on her face, which was mirrored in Zephyr's. I flew in, punched one Eraser, then round kicked and broke his neck. Out of the corned of the eye, I saw Zara and Zephyr were fighting tooth and nail…literally…with four Erasers. Two more attacked me. Punch, block, dodge, snap neck. Repeat. Just as I killed my two, Zephyr shouted, "Max! Look out!"

I spun around and saw an Eraser about to grab my neck. Before I could land a punch, ia knife sprouted from his heart. I looked behind the Eraser.

Floating in the air was a young girl, probably African-American, probably about the twins age. But what caught my attention was something else…

She had wings.


	5. Chapter 4: The Discovery

**What's up people!!! Here is the new chapter of Paths Crossed!!!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Zara, Zephyr and my totally awesome plotline.**

**Blackrose19902: yes max is like the mother figure, but at times she will be more like a older sister, since she was more of a mother of Angel and Gazzy. Fang is like an older brother figure, pretty laidback, but he can be really strict. As for the joining…just keep reading.**

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Chapter 4

**The Discovery**

(Fang's P.O.V.)

"Should we go check it out?" Nudge asked.

"Probably. Ig, Gazzy- head east, Angel-North, Nudge-South, I'll go west." I told them. We had sorta built-in compasses, so they knew which direction was which. We jumped outside and took off. I got about a mile away from the house before I was sure nothing was this way. I turned to head back when I heard a cry in my head.

_Fang! Nudge needs help! I'm too far away to get to here in time!_ Angel's voice echoed in my mind.

_Okay. I'm on it,_ I thought back, veering around sharply, heading south.

"…Phoniex!" I heard a girl's voice shouting, faint from distance, but I could tell she was shouting. A few seconds later a red flash erupted from the trees before disappearing. I doubled my speed.

"Hand-to-hand!" a different girl's voice shouted. Hers was the one we heard earlier, and it was more of a purr than the first's.

I reached a small clearing and saw Nudge hiding behind a largish tree at the edge of the clearing, watching the fight. I flew near her and watched.

There was two girls, one around my age, one around Nudge's, and one boy, obviously related to the younger girl, they were probably twins. The older girl was fighting two Erasers: punching, dodging, kicking. She was amazing at this. The rest of the flock and I were pretty good, but she had the skill that we didn't- the kind of skill that came with experience, and lots of it. And as she snapped the neck of the second Eraser, I realized something obvious; we were twenty feet away from the girl. Twenty feet away, thirty feet off the ground. This girl had wings, like us.

I looked at the twins, who were fighting four Erasers, although you couldn't say they were each fighting two. They fought together, like one mind in two bodies. It was pretty amazing to watch. They were in the air, but it seemed like they were floating, like they were riding the wind. They had a crazed, bloodlust smile on their faces, eerily reminding me of a predator that hunted not for food, but for pleasure. Like a puma or mink. Like an Eraser.

The smiles widened as they killed the Erasers.

There was one Eraser left, and he was stealthily sneaking up behind the older girl. Nudge noticed, too, because she drew the knife that she always kept on her. She could control metal.

"Max! Look out!" the boy shouted, his crazed bloodlust face rapidly fading into a mask of horror. The older girl, Max apparently, whipped around as Nudge threw the knife at the Eraser, guiding it into his heart. He fell from the sky.

Max looked straight at Nudge and her chocolate-brown eyes widened for a millisecond, then narrowed. Her hand lit with blood-red flames and her eyes turned to match.

I started from behind the tree…

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**Ha ha!!! Cliffy for all of you…**

**REVIEW!!! AND ANSWER THIS QUESTION:**

**Should I continue making max and fang's POV separate chapters or combine them?**

**WARNING: if I combine them, the update's will be longer apart.**

**Just Remember…**

**If the World didn't suck, we'd all fall off.**

**Doodles!!!**


	6. Chapter 5: The Meeting

**HEY!!! OMG SCHOOLS OUT!!! I WAS TOTALLY HIT WITH INSPIRATION!!! I'VE HAD WRITERS BLOCK FOR LIKE EVER!!!**

**But anyways...i'm setting up a poll for whether or not I should combine the chapters with POVs...smiles...**

**here we go...**

**Chapter 5: The Meeting**

**by zarrondrea**

(Max's P.O.V.)

I saw the black-skinned girl floating in the air... ON WINGS...

My instincts were still controlling my actions and I lit up my hands, blood-red eyes trained on the girl in front of me.

I was snarling and about to launch the fire at the girl when a dark figure shot out from behind a tree.

He had wings too.

"MAX! Calm down!" I heard Zara yelled at me.

"I don't think there going to hurt us." Zephyr told me.

_They're ones to talk about being calm,_ I grumbled in my head. But, I did calm down a bit. The fire died out from my hands and my eye returned to their normal brown.

"Um...hi..." I mumbled. "I'm Max. Maximum Ride."

"I'm Zara..."

"and I'm Zephyr..."

"We're twins." They said together. Oh, did I mention that they have this freaky "twin telepathy" thing?

"I'm Fang and this is Nudge." The boy said. He was decked out in black from head to toe, totally in contrast with his...sister? friend? But whatever she was, the girl was wearing blue jeans and a loose white t-shirt, not looking completely emo.

_You can trust them Max. _The obnoxious Voice told me.

"Hi. Why were being attacked by Erasers? What are you doing here? How did you get those wings? How are you two flying without wings? Are you okay? Do you have any powers, well other than fire?..." the girl, Nudge, began to babble, asking a million questions a minute. _Oh my god, slow down! _I mentally screamed at her.

"Nudge, calm down." Fang told her in his whispering voice. "Why don't we go back to our house so we can talk?"

"Okay. Just don't try any funny business."

The two newbies took off. I waited a second for the twins to catch up and then took off flying, quietly asking Zephyr, "Powers?"

He replied to me, "Fang can turn himself invisible and Nudge can sense emotions and control metal."

I nodded and replied "Don't let them know you can sense and block powers."

We arrived at their house. It was that cool sideways 'E' house I had seen earlier.

"Talk. Now." I told Fang.

He shook his head. "I want to wait for my family."

Family?

_More experiments_. The Voice told me.

Okay. Are they all Avian hybrids like me?

"Fang! Nudge! We're back!" two young male voices echoed through the house. Two boys entered the room. One was probably around my age, thin and wiry. He had brown hair and eyes was decked out in blue jeans and a red T-shirt. The other was young, probably eight or so. He had blond hair, blue eyes and was wearing jeans and a green T-shirt.

"The older one can 'see' colors and control sound. Judging by his powers, I think he's blind. The younger one can mimic voices and has a "toxic" farts." Zephyr whispered in my ear. I nodded.

"Gross!" Zara exclaimed.

"Quit eavesdropping!" Zephyr and I told her.

"Max, this is Iggy," he pointed to the older one, "and Gazzy," Fang told us, pointing to the younger one. "Iggy, Gazy, Max, Zara and Zephyr. Where's Angel?"

_'Right here'_ a girl's voice echoed through my head, before I instinctively threw up my mental barrier. I'm pretty sure the Z-twins did too. Some Erasers could read minds and it almost got us killed. Not fun, let me tell you.

"That girl's a telepath. A mind controller. She can breathe underwater and talk to animals."

"That's FREAKY!!!" Zara shouted.

"Quit. Eavesdropping. Do I need to spell it out for you?" Zephyr told his twin.

"Yup! Here I'll do it for you. Q-U-I-T E-A-V-E..." Zara shot back. I tuned them out, wondering how the heck she learned to spell so good? It's not like we had lessons or anything.

_You can trust them. _The Voice repeated in my head.

_Great you've turned in to a broken record,_ I sarcastically told it. "Voice says we can trust them." I told the twins.

Just as I was saying this, the freaky-mind reader/controller/animal talker/fish/bird girl entered the room. She had long blond curls and blue eyes, so I'm guessing she's related to the other boy. She was dressed in jeans and a pink t-shirt. She couldn't be more than six.

"This is Angel." Fang said. I nodded to her. "We're all here. You first."

"Let's get formal introductions." Zephyr suggested. "Like name, age, powers, if you have any." The three of us all quietly snickered. We already knew their powers.

"I'm Max. I'm fourteen. I'm 2% eagle. I escaped with these obnoxious," (the twins threw dirty looks my way), "two four years ago. I hate my father and don't know my mother. I can control fire, fly at super sonic speeds and I have this annoying Voice in my head that tells me what to do. I've been on the run from Erasers for 4 years. " I said. The newbies looked at me like I was crazy. "What?" I asked them. They shrugged and looked away. The twins burst out laughing.

Finally, Zara calmed down enough to tell us, "I'm Zara. I'm eleven. I'm 2% lion. You all smell like food right now." They all backed up before she continued. "I'm joking, God. Relax. Birds don't even taste good."

"Yeah, and you found that out, how?" I asked her. She had taken a bite out of me a few years ago when she was in bloodlust. I still had the scars from her teeth.

She threw me a grin and continued. "But I can control the wind, which is how I fly. I have heightened senses. I LOVE fighting and I live for bloodlust."

Zephyr said, "I'm Zephyr. I'm 11. 2% lion. "I can control the wind, too, I Know things, like things that help with survival, I love fighting, too."

"We have a twin telepathy, retractable claws and sharpened teeth." The twins said together, showing the aforementioned items.

I looked over at the five newbie strangers. "Your turn," I told them.

**

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Love it? Hate it? I don't care. Okay now clicked the green button below this author's note. And then review. And go answer my poll. **

**And just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off,**

**zarrondrea**


	7. Author's Note: Writers Block

Authors Note:

Hey guys!!! Sorry I haven't updated in a while.

I've been really busy with school and softball and Girl Scouts, I swear life is trying to run me over.

Anyways, I've also been having really bad writers blocks on this story. Well, writers block isn't the right word. I just can't seem to think of a way for Fang to respond to Max's story. So, if anyone as any ideas, PM me and give me to them and I'll give you credit for the chapter and virtual milk and cookies.8D.

And just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.

Peace,

zarrondrea


	8. Chapter 6: Trying to Understand

'**Sup? I'm finally back! After way a HORRIBLE case of writers block (no fun, let me tell you), I am finally continuing on with my **_**Maximum Ride **_**fanfiction, Paths Crossed. **

**Big thanks to AAA1007, who I totally borrowed the Flock's speaking lines from (THANKS). Even though its been over three months, you still inspired me to keep the story going. The underlined portions are stuff I borrowed from AAA1007. **

**BIG THANKS!**

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue. I don't own, you don't sue. **

**Digital Milk and Cookies and Ice Cream and Sugar Cubes for anyone who reviews this. (oh great, know I want sugar and food)**

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Chapter 6: Trying to Understand**

**by diversity-is-possibility**

(Fang's P.O.V.)

After hearing her story, her almost attacking Nudge wasn't that surprising to me anymore. The kept making jokes about how we smelt like food. I was kinda freaking us out. Their claws were kinda freaky too.

When they had all finished telling us their story, Max turned and snapped at us, "Your turn."

I didn't really know where to start. While I was contemplating what to say, Angel told me, _Fang, I can't get anything from them. No thoughts. No nothing. It's like they aren't there. _

That was slightly disturbing. I asked back, _Did you sense anything when you first got here?_

_Barely. When I told you I was here, they just disappeared. Maybe they know how to throw up barriers. That would be something they know that we don't._

_Maybe. _I took a deep breath. Here goes. "I'm Fang. Fourteen. I can turn invisible." I said briefly.

We were all silent for a few seconds, before Iggy stated, "I'm Iggy. I'm fourteen too. I can feel colors and control sound. And I'm blind and gay…nah, just kidding." Normal Iggy.

Nudge, oh god Nudge, had to turn a simple introduction in to one of her normal spiels. "HI! I'm Nudge, ooh, that rhymes with fudge. Fudge is soo yummy don'tcha think so? It's soooo chocolately and god…" Nudge suddenly stopped, and then seemed to get back on track. "OH! Right. I'm eleven and I can sense emotions control metal and hack computers." Max glared at Zephyr, who shrugged at her. _Odd, _I thought.

Gazzy stepped up next. "I'm the Gasman (don't ask). I'm eight and I can mimic voices and well the name explains it all." He gave a cheeky grin.

Angel, sweet Angel, said in her six-year-old girl voice. "I'm Angel. I'm six and I can read and control minds and talk to animals. On, and breathe underwater. But…why can't I read your minds?"

Angel was putting on the Bambi eyes pretty heavily. Max looked at her and closed her eyes, before turning and whispering something to Zephyr. They were talking and Zara said something that made both of them stop and looked puzzled. Evidently Zara took that as a free reign to tell us whatever she wanted to say and told us, "It's because we have learned how to put up mind shields. Some Erasers have the mind-reading mutation and it has almost gotten us out-fought and killed before."

I had a feeling there was something more to that story, but I had just met them, so I didn't pry. An uncomfortable silence fell over the eight of us.

"How did you escape?"

I was slightly startled. "Excuse me?"

"I asked how did you escape, goth boy." Max told me, rolling her chocolate brown eyes.

"Um… a whitecoat, Jeb, helped us. He came to our cages, unlocked us, and-" I was cut off by Max's reaction.

It was scary. Her hands started to smoke, and a touch of red entered her eyes. "Did you say Jeb?" she asked in a low, deadly sounding voice.

"Yeah. Why?"

Max began cursing. Loudly. "No good, son of a… damn it, he just left and…"

"Whoa, Max. Chill. Out." Zara told her, blasting her with a stream of air. She shook out of her trance.

"What was that about?" Nudge asked.

"Nothing." Max quickly denied.

I rolled my eyes. Right, nothing. Because everyone just starts cursing at nothing."

"Whatever."

Angel asked in her sweetest voice, that I recognized as her mind controlling one, "Please tell us what that was about? Pretty please?"

Zephyr all of a sudden looked pissed off. Max put a hand on his shoulder and he calmed down. "Ugh, fine." She said. "Jeb is my father. Four years ago, he helped me and the terrible twosome here," she casually avoided the twins simultaneous swats, "escape and just left us less than a mile from The School. He didn't even try to get us helped or anything. Didn't even try to stop the Erasers from following us. Did he do that to you?"

I was hesitant to answer her. I wanted to be honest, but I also didn't want to facet her wrath. It seemed pretty scary so far. "That means _no._"

"He brought us here and raised us for two years. He taught us how to live, how to fight. Then he disappeared. We thought he died."

Max looked kindly shocked at that, but I could see something else in her eyes- hurt. And betrayal. I guess I sort of understood her. Her own father abandons her, his daughter, to help other kids. Other kids who get a somewhat normal life. I think I would be kind of bitter too.

Max took a shaky breath, before mumbling something to Zara. Zara responded. They seemed to get into a heated, whispered argument that I couldn't catch, even with my enhanced hearing. Max said something, and I guess it ended of the conversation because Zara stopped talking and crossed her arms.

"We need to leave." Max announced.

"Why are you leaving? You could stay here with us, be a part of our family. I mean…" Nudge continued to babble, but Max said,

"I do not want to endanger you all. It is too dangerous for us, for me, to linger anyway too long." She seemed to subconsciously rub her left forearm.

I shook my head and told her, "Then we will endanger ourselves. At least stay the night, and let us give you a meal and a good night's rest." Wow. I think that's the most I've said all year.

The others, Angel, Gazzy, Iggy and Nudge, stared, jaws dropped at me. The three new kids all looked around at each other, before Max said, "Thanks for the offer, but if we did that, the Erasers would know where your house was. We have the experience to defeat them, but you guys… no offence, but you may know fighting, but you lack the gut instinct you need to fight the Erasers. That comes with practice. And with more of us, they will send more Erasers, too many for the three of us to fight."

"That is not fair! We can fight!" Gazzy exclaimed.

"How will they know where you are?" Nudge asked.

Max looked at Zephyr, who glanced at Zara, who sent a _just tell them _glare at Max. Max then rolled up her left sleeve to reveal… a mess of scars.

"Because of this."

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Dun, dun, dun… cliffhanger. However, I think all of you know what is in her arm, am I right? **

**Any-who, peace out,**

**diversity**


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